Translate

Sunday 1 July 2012

Desperate Housewives - 7.8: "Sorry Grateful" Review


Thanksgiving for us and for Wisteria Lane has everyone revealing their doubts and insecurities, Renee about her choices with men, still wanting Tom; Susan missing Mike, Gaby plotting to keep Grace.

Mary Alice (Brenda Strong): "Felicia (Harriet Sansom Harris) knew many things: Paul killed her sister, had to find proof and needed help.  She knew she was lucky to have a daughter who did what she was told."  Beth (Emily Bergl) hasn't been able to find out anything about Paul (Mark Moses) and Felicia realizes she slept with him.  Beth considers it a sacrifice for her aunt.

Mary Alice: "Thanksgiving: defrosting turkey; visiting family; performing in pageants, shopping and stress."  Just like the ghosts in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (2009), each of these is going to be 'visited' upon the residents of Wisteria Lane. Gaby (Eva Longoria) - I've dropped the Parker from her name - forces Carlos (Richard Antonio Chavira) to cook to celebrate his Mexican culture.  She's Mexican too, isn't she?  Grace's (Cecilia Balagot) parents would prefer to eat Mexican food on Thanksgiving.  How does she know they would, she's only known them a short while and socializing with them is so beneath her, she's only doing it for Grace.  Carlos' culture is contained within the two shopping bags.

 I can't help but think that celebrating with Mexican food was just a metaphor, or rather an underlying story that Grace's parents were illegals, so Gaby could get her grubby little paws on grace for good.  Just as Paul appears to be scheming with Beth, it seems like he's just toying with her and stringing her along because he knows who she really is, that Felicia is her mother and once he's got his way with her, the penny will drop and he'll admit everything.  (Penny dropping is an English term meaning "it will occur or happen.")

In the same way that it seemed Gaby forgot to bring home the pies on purpose because she could take Hector (Rolando Molina) with her and made him drive on the shoulder so he would be arrested.  She only had a sip of wine that we saw and claiming she couldn't drive.  Well when Hector is arrested and deported back to Mexico that's strike one for Gaby and one parent taken care of. Renee (Vanessa Williams) invites Lynette over for dinner and Lynette (Felicity Huffman) wants Susan to come too, but as a guest, not the hired help.

Susan (Teri Hatcher) doesn't like the idea of sleep training, she hates to listen to babies cry.  Paul tells Beth he thinks Felicia has mental problems as who else would cut off their own finger to frame him for murder.  That's rich coming from him, didn't his son also have so-called mental problems?  Which makes Beth begin to wonder too.  Seems almost like acting on his part, I can't believe he really doesn't know about Beth.  Also all Paul wants is vengeance on his neighbours.  That's not exactly healthy.

Mary (Nancy Travis) apologizes to Bree (Marcia Cross) with flowers, her marriage to Richard (John Schneider) is strained.  Bree tells her to make him aware of her feelings and invites them to dinner. Tom (Doug Savant) brings Renee a cream pie from Lynette, it'll be eaten at their house and sees her in her blue towel.  He recalls every detail of her in her blue, striped towel, way back when.  She admits to fishing for compliments from Tom, who develops a clumsy streak all of a sudden, surprised her towel didn't just "fall off!"

Carlos says Gaby didn't cook, she just did her hair for two hours and so now has to pick up the pies she forgot.  As said, that was convenient for her.  Hector doesn't have a licence as he's illegal.  Another notch on Gaby's belt for taking care of people selfishly and an obstacle removed furthering her foray into getting her grubby, little paws into Grace for good.  She drives home and complains of not being able to use the stick shift on Hector's car and blames him for driving on the shoulder like it was his idea.  Juanita in true Gaby fashion can only think of where the pies are.  Well, substitute Prada bags for pies!

Susan can't resist doing her job and attending to Paige when she cries.  That's the job of a nanny though, looking out for the baby, not pandering to the whims of parents.  Lynette wouldn't expect a stranger to let Paige "self-soothe" (maybe she would) then she'd sue them for neglect!  Mary demands a divorce from Richard and Bree insists that wasn't the advice she gave her.

Beth tells Paul about not having a proper Thanksgiving when she was little.  She invited a boy over, Danny Sullivan, one year and her mother wouldn't let her answer the door to him.  A bit dangerous name dropping like that, Paul's sure to recall it when he needs the dirt on Beth; or at least to find out who she really is, if he doesn't know already.  Beth realizes her mother may be "damaged." She's thankful for Paul. Susan quits as she can't bear MJ crying himself to sleep over Mike (James Denton) every night and so does she.  That's another reason why she can't bear to see Paige cry.  Lynette allows her to call him from her phone, but not for long.

 Renee has a sob-story moment with Tom that she could have chosen any man she wanted but she chose the rich ones, unlike Lynette who knows how to pick them, kind and gentle, like him.  Oh have your one night stand with Renee already and get it over with!  Either that or tell Lynette about the past, 'cause either way the truth will out. Keith (Brian Austin Green) comes to believe marriage is futile since his parents are divorcing after 35 years, but Richard tells him it was leading to divorce anyway.  He shouldn't be cynical and Bree hopes to be married again one day.

Richard tells Bree he knew she was special from the moment he saw her.  Cue him making a play for her soon, in my opinion.  He's going to do something bad. Beth visits Felicia and admits Paul didn't kill her sister, she can't believe what she's hearing and tells her to join a wine club and get him drunk enough to confess, then tells her to leave him.  She won't, he's her husband.  You wouldn't expect Beth to be so naive or stupid.  She writes to a man in prison expecting never to meet him, then marries him and falls for everything he tells her.

So whose idea was it to chase Paul, probably Felicia's. Grace is a US citizen, causing the wheels in Gaby's brain to turn faster as she now plots to keep Grace all to herself, since Hector is deported and her mother will have to go into hiding.  Sure that thought crossed her mind on many occasions.  Mary Alice: "Once a year we remember to...count our blessings; thanks for friends who understand us, lovers who make us happy, children who do our bidding...thankful for what we are given, even if it's just an opportunity." The title is from a song in the Stephen Sondheim musical Company.

No comments: